Beautiful, but is it equally powerful? New iMac with the M3 chip after a month [TEST]

The iMac is one of the most iconic computers in Apple’s history. The premiere of the first device in this series took place in the late 1990s. From that moment on, with each subsequent generation, the all-in-one computer from the Cupertino company became smaller and its computing power increased.

And although the latest iMac with the M3 processor is almost nothing like the famous iMac G3 from 1998, one thing has remained unchanged – just like then, so today, Apple equipment is one of the most original and designer devices on the market.

1) DESIGN

The first thing that may surprise us when we take the new iMac out of the box is its dimensions. The device – including the permanently mounted stand – weighs only 4.48 kg, and its casing is extremely slim – it measures less than 12 mm. As befits Apple equipment, we are dealing here with an elegant and minimalist design.

This modernity is contradicted by the large frames surrounding the display. The lower one, called the “chin”, is particularly offensive. I realize that the manufacturer had to hide the internal components somewhere, but personally I would prefer narrower screen edges, even at the expense of a slightly thicker housing.

iMac M3 photo: DM

I got my hands on the blue variant of the iMac M3 and I must admit that of all the available color versions, this one looks the best. It’s a pity that Apple still hasn’t decided to add the now iconic space gray to the color range.

All available connectors are located on the back of the device. We have two Thunderbolt/USB 4.0 ports (40 Gb/s), two USB 3.2 connectors (10 Gb/s) and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The Gigabit Ethernet port is located in the power supply.

Overall, we are dealing here with a great-looking all-in-one device. All construction elements were perfectly fitted together. It’s a pity that the iMac stand only allows you to tilt the screen forward and backward. The lack of an up-down adjustment function may prove to be a problem for people with a shorter desk.

iMac M3 photo: DM

2) SCREEN

iMac M3 is equipped with a 23.5-inch display with a resolution of 4.5 K (4480 x 2520 pixels). We are dealing with a Retina panel with a brightness of 500 nits, offering a wide range of P3 colors, as well as True Tone technology, which adjusts the color temperature to the surroundings.

It’s hard to have any major reservations about the new iMac’s screen. It is perfect for everyday work, watching movies, playing games, but also for applications such as photo or video editing. I must admit, however, that I was counting on the appearance of the newer Liquid Retina XDR Pro Motion screen, which was included in the MacBook Pro some time ago. The panel made in Mini LED technology offers much higher contrast and deeper black than standard Retina, as well as a higher refresh rate (up to 120 Hz).

iMac M3 photo: DM

3) EFFICIENCY

Although the new iMac is equipped with the “weakest” version of the Apple M3 chip, it does not mean that this computer lacks power. On the contrary. The M3 is an extremely efficient unit that offers support for ray-tracing (reverse ray tracing), mesh shading, as well as dynamic caching (the processor uses exactly as much memory as is necessary to perform a specific task).

The base M3 variant, which is made of 25 billion transistors, has 8 CPU cores (4 performance and 4 energy-saving ones). Apple emphasizes that it is 35 percent more efficient than the M1 processor. However, the real strength of the M3 chips is the increase in GPU performance. The M3 has as many as 10 GPU cores, which are 65 percent faster. faster than the GPU in the M1 model.

iMac M3 photo: Apple

This is confirmed by the very good results the new iMac achieved in benchmarks. In the case of Geekbench 6, the M3 chip scored 3,019 points in the single-core test and 11,966 points in the multi-core test. In CineBench 2024, the tested equipment scored 141 (single core) and 607 (multiple cores) points.

iMac M3 Apple

Regardless of whether you are looking for equipment for learning, office tasks, editing in Final Cut Pro, mixing in Logic Pro X or photo editing in Photoshop – the M3 will meet the challenge. However, it is worth pointing out very clearly that this is not a computer aimed at a professional user. If you are looking for a workstation for “heavy” rendering or designing in 3D applications, Mac Studio or Mac Pro will be a much better choice for you.

And how does the iMac M3 perform in games? Unfortunately, this varies. On the tested device, we can easily achieve over 40 frames in 1080p resolution in slightly older titles (“GTA 5”, “The Witcher 3” or “Far Cry 5”). The situation is worse in the case of slightly more demanding titles. In both “Cyberpunk 2077” and “Baldur’s Gate 3” I was unable to reach 30 FPS, even when I significantly reduced the level of detail.

macOS Sonoma photo: DM

There is no doubt that one of the strongest points of Apple computers is the macOS system, which has always been distinguished by its stability and smooth operation. It is no different in the case of the latest version of macOS, Sonoma.

Here, the Continuity function comes to the fore, offering deep integration of the iMac with other Apple devices. We can use our iPhone’s camera as a camera for an iMac, and we can also easily start working on one device and then continue it smoothly on the other (iCloud and shared Clipboard). Integration also concerns, among others, widgets. We can transfer all widgets from our iPhone to the iMac desktop, and data synchronization takes place immediately.

iMac M3 photo: DM

4) CAMERA AND SOUND

The iMac M3 has a FaceTime HD 1080p camera located on the top edge of the screen. It offers decent quality during video calls, and if this turns out to be insufficient for us, we can always use the Continuity function mentioned above.

However, I was negatively surprised by the fact that Apple has still not integrated the camera in the iMac with the FaceID reader. The computer does not offer facial recognition. However, we can unlock the device using the TouchID function (the fingerprint reader is placed on the Magic Keyboard).

When it comes to the audio function, the iMac M3 has something to be proud of. We have a system of six hi-fi speakers with force-cancelling woofers. Your Apple computer supports Dolby Atmos surround sound technology

There is also a set of three studio-grade microphones with a high signal-to-noise ratio and directional acoustic beamforming technology.

iMac M3 photo: DM

4) ACCESSORIES

iMac M3 is offered with a Magic Mouse by default, but we can replace the mouse with a Trackpad (for an additional fee of PLN 250) or order a variant with both a mouse and a trackpad. The situation is similar with the Magic Keyboard. Its default variant does not have a numeric block. For the version with a block we have to pay extra PLN 150.

I must admit that I have never been a fan of the Magic Mouse. And after a few weeks that I spent with her again, I became even more convinced of my negative opinion. Apple’s mouse is uncomfortable, poorly profiled, and its click is too flat. The icing on the cake is the charging connector located at the bottom of the device, one of the most absurd design ideas in Apple’s history.

Magic Trackpad is different. If you like the MacBook trackpad (and I do), you will feel like a fish out of water. The Apple trackpad has been an unrivaled benchmark for other devices of this type for years. Although I had the opportunity to connect my favorite Logitech MX Master mouse to the iMac, I still preferred to use the Apple device with a trackpad.

In the case of the Magic Keyboard, my feelings are ambivalent. On the one hand, it is very comfortable to type on, and the keys have the right travel. On the other hand, the lack of legs that would allow it to be profiled and, above all, the lack of backlighting are factors that certainly disqualify this equipment in the eyes of many users.

iMac M3 photo: DM

5) SUMMARY

iMac M3 is one of the most original and beautiful all-in-one computers, boasting a high-quality screen and excellent performance of the M3 chip. It is also a very universal device – it will work well both as a family computer and as a device for the president’s desk. However, I would not recommend it to people looking for a workstation for heavier tasks, such as video rendering. In this case, it is definitely worth investing in Mac Studio and an external screen.

Of course, for many people who want to buy a computer “for work and play”, the price of the new iMac may be an obstacle. For the basic configuration, which has only 8 GB RAM, we will pay as much as PLN 7,499. The sensible option (16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD memory) costs almost PLN 10,000. zloty. I would write that “it was already cheap”, but in the case of Apple devices this would be obviously untrue.

It’s never been cheap here.